Sask. RCMP say 2024 highest year on record for homicide investigations

Assistant commissioner Rhonda Blackmore, commanding officer of the Saskatchewan RCMP, speaks during a news conference in Regina on Thursday, June 6, 2024. A report into how Mounties responded to a mass killing and manhunt in Saskatchewan has found some communication problems but nothing that significantly impacted the outcome. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Liam Richards

The Saskatchewan RCMP says it investigated 38 homicide files in 2024 with 40 victims, making it the highest year on record in its jurisdiction in the province.

According to an RCMP news release, there were 27 per cent more homicide files and 33 per cent more homicide victims in 2024 compared with 2023.

Thirty-six people have been charged in connection to 2024’s RCMP homicide investigations, RCMP said.

“Of those charged, 25 were male and 11 were female,” the release said.

Sask. well above national average

RCMP said when referencing the most recently available 2023 Statistics Canada data, police services in the country reported 778 homicide victims overall resulting in a national homicide rate of 1.94 per 100,000 people.

In 2024, RCMP say the homicide rate in their jurisdiction in the province was 7.2 victims per 100,000 people.

In northern Saskatchewan in particular RCMP says the homicide rate in its jurisdiction was 14.8 homicide victims per 100,000 people in 2024.

“Last year there were also four instances where RCMP Major Crimes investigators were called to three or more homicide investigations within a seven-day period. These homicide “clusters” involved multiple, unrelated investigations in different locations in the province and occurred in February, August, September and December,” RCMP said in the release.

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As an example, RCMP said there were five separate homicides between Feb. 1-5 in its Saskatchewan jurisdiction.

“These clusters especially put significant pressures on frontline RCMP detachments and investigative resources as multiple, specially trained teams are required to deploy immediately to these calls for service,” Superintendent Josh Graham said in the release.

Saskatchewan RCMP says of those 36 they charged with homicide in 2024, 45 per cent were subject to court-ordered conditions or supervisions at the time of the offence. Two suspects were also wanted on outstanding warrants.

These statistics do not include six accused who were already in custody at the time of one homicide, which occurred in the Saskatchewan Penitentiary.

“When you consider just 10 years ago – in 2014 – we investigated homicides where there were eight victims in total and in 2024 there were 40 victims in total,” Superintendent Graham said.

“There is a marked increase in violence and, sadly, more families losing their loved ones.”